Obama's legacy: Hawaii once again refuses to name something after only native son president
If his post-presidency is a reflection of his actual achievements in office, Barack Obama will spend his life living down his shame. But sadly, for the cause of justice, he is likely to enjoy great wealth and acclaim from a substantial segment of American, not to mention world society. Still, it is quite interesting that several efforts to name things after him in his home state of Hawaii have failed. Greg Jaffe and Juliet Eilperin of the Washington Post report:
Stanley Chang hatched a plan last year to overcome seven years of failed attempts to name something after Hawaii's most famous native son.
His target: Sandy Beach, a stunning strip of sand and volcanic ash that he hoped to re-christen "Barack Obama Beach."
Chang had heard from a congressional staffer that Obama often spoke fondly of body surfing there as a teen. And he had read an interview in which the president described his ideal day as one spent at the Oahu beach.
"It was almost a prose poem," Chang said. Obama imagined a sea turtle swimming in profile, "like a hieroglyph in the water," the rolling crest of a perfect wave, the sunset "glittering" as the swimsuit-clad commander in chief sipped a soda.
Chang, who recently stepped down from the Honolulu City Council, submitted his bill, insisting that the beach was one of the president's "favorite places in the world."
Like all of the previous Obama naming efforts, however, it has gone nowhere. (snip)
Since 2009, Hawaii's politicos have sought to name two schools, an abandoned lot, a scenic overlook and two state holidays after Obama. An effort to put the 1960s-era cinder-block apartment building - where he lived - on the National Historic registry also fell short.
For now, the most famous thing that bears Obama's name here is the "Snowbama," a shaved ice that's a mix of lemon, lime, cherry and passion guava flavors and sells for $4 at Island Snow, one of the president's favorite vacation haunts.
There are a lot of consequences of Obama's presidency yet to come. Maybe the Witness Protection Program would be a good idea.
No comments:
Post a Comment